Improvement in the construction of iron vessels



2 Sheets--Shee't 1.

D.. W. ZANTZINGEH.

D o n s t r u ct i o n o f l r 0 n V e s s e I s IF. F V

Patented Nov. 24, 1874.

wlTNEssEs SM .02. e@ @ffm/WM.

UNITED STATEs PATENT OFFICE.

DANIEL W. ZANTZINGER, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF IRON VESSELS.

Specification forming-part of lettersPatent No. 157,264, dated November24, 1874 application filed September 9, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

I providing, at proper intervals, what l term broad ribs, such ribstaking the place of some of the ordinary ribs, and being extended to asufcient breadth or depth transversely of the hull to form, when coveredwith an inner skin or lining, sectional water-tight compartments inaddition to the bulk-heads constructed in the usual way, so that in caseof accident, either by collision or otherwise, the aforesaid inner skinand the broad ribs bounding the sectional compartment where the injurymay have occurred will prevent the ent-ire compartment from being filledwith water.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of aportion of one side of the frame with part of the inner skin removed.Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of a part of one side of the vesselthrough the cabin-space, between the upper and main decks. Fig. 3 is atransverse section of one side of the vessel. Fig. 4 is an elevation ofone of the broad ribs, showing in dotted outline an extension-partition,such as are used for separating the cabin space.

I construct between each of the bulk-heads already constructed and nowin use, at a distance of every eight (8) feet or less, a broad rib, A,two (2) feet Wide at the ways, or bottom of the bulwarks, to followparallel with the outside line of the hull to a depth of twothirds ofher draft of water, thence diminishing to eighteen (18) inches wide atthe keel, the thickness of the same being ve-eighths (J3) of an inch,and being riveted onto a false top keel or thin plate, B, one-half of aninch thick, running parallel with and on top of the main keel. To makethe sectional compartments I cover the inside edges C of the broad ribswith iron plating D three-eighths (g) of an inch thick, forming an innerskin.

Now, to make the spaces E between the broad ribs and the outside surfaceand the inner skin accessible, I construct iron doors F five and a half(5%) feet long by eighteen (1S) inches wide, and three-eighths of aninch thick, with three-quarters of an inch lian ge, one-half of an inchthick, shutting into grooves, with or without rubber being made on or inthe broad ribs A. The doors are then made secure, when closed, by two(2) brass hinge thumb-screws, f, on both sides of the doors, so thatthey may be secured from either side, as hereinafter described, the sameas used in securing port-lights. The above doors, when open, are securedto the side of the hull in a similar manner as When they are shut, or bya simple catch or hook. The spaces of these sectional compartments aremadeaecessible in this way ou each deck the whole length of the ship,thereby enabling two or more men to go through the several sectionalcompartments, one party going from the bow to the stern, and the othergoing in the opposite direction, which would bring them so as to eachclose a door on either side of the damage, and securing it as abovementioned. The water would then only fill the space E between two of thebroad ribs A, the outside of hull, the inner skin D, and two decks. Thesimilar spaces G inthe lower part of the vessel, where the broad ribsbegin to diminish in width, are made accessible by means of manholes H,two (2) or more feet in diameter, secured on the upper side in the samemanner as the iron doors aforementioned- These lastnamed spaces G can beused for unassorted cargo. At the ends of the vessel, where she beginsto taper off, the broad ribs need not necessarily be as Wide as in theother sections of the vessel, and man-holes, as above mentioned, can beused where the space would not admit of the use of the iron doors. Wherethe cabins I are situated, every other broad rib extends only to thefloor of the main deck, being riveted to one of the beams thereof, andthen between the main and spar decks the inner skin, before referred to,is constructed. along the front of the cabins, as shown at c', beingriveted to the beams of the main and spar decks, and nished withpaneling, &c., on the inside of passage-way. The short passageconnecting the two state-rooms with the main passage-way is closed by aniron door, L, with anged edges and clamps,'as heretofore described,which, when open, forms one or" the panels or the above short passage.In Fig. 2 this pancled door is shown partly open. The cabin doors Z lmay be of common construction. The cabins are ventilated by means ofsmall oblong openings lVI, five (5) feet" long by six (6) inches wide,which are made water-tight by thin iron shutters M', with lianged edgesand clamps, the same as used on doors, closed from the inside, and madesecure on the passage side. The partitions N, separa-ting the cabins,between the broad ribs A and the inner skin, heretofore described, areconstructed of thin iron plating, which can be rolled out in one piece,and riveted onto the broad rib A and one of the spar-deck beams, andbeing secured in the same manner to the inner skin and one of the beamsof the main deck with angle-irons.

By the construction of vessels iu this manner, especially those of alarge tonnage, it will be readily seen that it enables them to proceedto the port for which they are destinedwithout having to run into someother port en route to repair the damage caused by accident orotherwise, saving such time as may be caused in making the delay thatwould arise therefrom. In vessels of a large draft of water, theport-lights m for the lower deck, just above the draft-line, would bearranged Ljust the same as in other vessels, only they would have to beso spaced as not to come behind a door when open. And'in theconstruction of vessels in this way the additional weight of theimprovement could be lessened considerably by reducing an equal numberof the small ribs between each of the broad ribs. This improvement canbe made on a smaller scale in vessels already constructed, or in thecourse of construction.

What I claim as of my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

The construction of .hull herein described, consisting of a customaryiron frame with broad ribs A introduced at intervals in addition to theordinary ribs, the inner skin D, riveted to the inner edge C of thebroad ribs, and transverse partition introduced between the main andupper decks, so as to provide water-tight cells entirely surrounding thevessel, while giving great additional strength thereto.

In testimony that I claim the above as my own invention, I have hereuntosubscribed my name in the presence of two' witnesses.

DANL. VEBSTER ZANTZINGER.

VVituesses:

H. S. VANDERBILT, WM. B. MORGAN.

